CVE-2023-29193 [High] | Information Disclosure in Spicedb

SpiceDB is an open source, Google Zanzibar-inspired, database system for creating and managing security-critical application permissions. The `spicedb serve` command contains a flag named `--grpc-preshared-key` which is used to protect the gRPC API from being accessed by unauthorized requests. The values of this flag are to be considered sensitive, secret data. The `/debug/pprof/cmdline` endpoint served by the metrics service (defaulting running on port `9090`) reveals the command-line flags provided for debugging purposes. If a password is set via the `--grpc-preshared-key` then the key is revealed by this endpoint along with any other flags provided to the SpiceDB binary. This issue has been fixed in version 1.19.1. ### Impact All deployments abiding by the recommended best practices for production usage are **NOT affected**: - Authzed's SpiceDB Serverless - Authzed's SpiceDB Dedicated - SpiceDB Operator Users configuring SpiceDB via environment variables are **NOT affected**. Users **MAY be affected** if they expose their metrics port to an untrusted network and are configuring `--grpc-preshared-key` via command-line flag. ### Patches TODO ### Workarounds To workaround this issue you can do one of the following: - Configure the preshared key via an environment variable (e.g. `SPICEDB_GRPC_PRESHARED_KEY=yoursecret spicedb serve`) - Reconfigure the `--metrics-addr` flag to bind to a trusted network (e.g. `--metrics-addr=localhost:9090`) - Disable the metrics service via the flag (e.g. `--metrics-enabled=false`) - Adopt one of the recommended deployment models: [Authzed's managed services](https://authzed.com/pricing) or the [SpiceDB Operator](https://github.com/authzed/spicedb-operator) ### References - [GitHub Security Advisory issued for SpiceDB](https://github.com/authzed/spicedb/security/advisories/GHSA-cjr9-mr35-7xh6) - [Go issue #22085](https://github.com/golang/go/issues/22085) for documenting the risks of exposing pprof to the internet - [Go issue #42834](https://github.com/golang/go/issues/42834) discusses preventing pprof registration to the default serve mux - [semgrep rule go.lang.security.audit.net.pprof.pprof-debug-exposure](https://semgrep.dev/r?q=go.lang.security.audit.net.pprof) checks for a variation of this issue ### Credit We'd like to thank Amit Laish, a security researcher at GE Vernova for responsibly disclosing this vulnerability.

#	Date	Old EPSS score	New EPSS score	Delta (New - Old)
1	2026-04-15	0.28%	0.36%	+0.09%
2	2026-01-07	0.23%	0.28%	+0.05%
3	2025-03-30	—	0.23%	—

Date

Old EPSS score

New EPSS score

Delta (New - Old)

2026-04-15

0.28%

0.36%

+0.09%

2026-01-07

0.23%

0.28%

+0.05%

2025-03-30

—

0.23%

—

Base score	Version	Severity	Vector	Exploitability	Impact	Score source
8.7	3.1	HIGH	`CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N` Click to expand Attack vector (AV:A) Attacker has to be nearby on the network—same office, same link, that vibe—not the whole wide internet. Attack complexity (AC:L) Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup. Privileges required (PR:L) A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin. User interaction (UI:N) Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping. Scope (S:C) Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius. Confidentiality (C:H) Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way. Integrity (I:H) They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt. Availability (A:N) Service keeps running; no real outage angle.	2.3	5.8	[email protected]
7.5	3.1	HIGH	`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N` Click to expand Attack vector (AV:N) Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine. Attack complexity (AC:L) Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup. Privileges required (PR:N) No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough. User interaction (UI:N) Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping. Scope (S:U) Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems. Confidentiality (C:H) Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way. Integrity (I:N) Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged. Availability (A:N) Service keeps running; no real outage angle.	3.9	3.6	[email protected]

Base score

Version

Severity

Vector

Exploitability

Impact

Score source

8.7

3.1

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:N Click to expand

Attack vector (AV:A): Attacker has to be nearby on the network—same office, same link, that vibe—not the whole wide internet.
Attack complexity (AC:L): Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L): A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N): Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:C): Breaking this can reach past the original component and bite other resources—bigger blast radius.
Confidentiality (C:H): Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H): They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:N): Service keeps running; no real outage angle.

2.3

5.8

[email protected]

7.5

3.1

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N Click to expand

Attack vector (AV:N): Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:L): Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N): No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N): Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U): Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H): Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:N): Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:N): Service keeps running; no real outage angle.

3.9

3.6

[email protected]

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-29193

Vendor	Product	Version	Raw CPE
authzed	spicedb	< 1.19.1	cpe:2.3:a:authzed:spicedb::::::::

References for CVE-2023-29193

URL	Tags
https://github.com/authzed/spicedb/commit/9bbd7d76b6eaba33fe0236014f9b175d21232999	Patch
https://github.com/authzed/spicedb/releases/tag/v1.19.1	Release Notes Vendor Advisory
https://github.com/authzed/spicedb/security/advisories/GHSA-cjr9-mr35-7xh6	Vendor Advisory

URL

CVE-2023-29193 | SpiceDB binding metrics port to untrusted networks and can leak command-line flags

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-29193

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-29193

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-29193

GitHub Security Advisory for CVE-2023-29193

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-29193

References for CVE-2023-29193